Selah (band)
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Selah is a
contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
vocal trio consisting of
Todd Smith Todd Smith may refer to: People * Todd Smith (musician), American singer, songwriter and guitarist * Todd Smith (politician), Canadian politician *Todd Smith, American vocalist and member of Selah * Todd Smith (wrestler), American wrestler * Todd ...
, Allan Hall, and Amy Perry. The group has been featured on ''
The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, p ...
'', ''
Hour of Power ''Hour of Power'' is a weekly American Evangelist television program broadcast from Shepherd's Grove Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California, near Los Angeles. It was formerly one of the most watched religious broadcasts in the world, seen ...
'', and TBN.


Group history


1997–2004: Original lineup

Selah was originally formed by brother and sister,
Todd Todd or Todds may refer to: Places Australia * Todd River, an ephemeral river United States * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated c ...
and Nicol Smith (now
Nicol Sponberg Nicol Sponberg (1970) is an American Christian music singer. Sponberg was formerly a member of her brother's band Selah (; ) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpret ...
), along with friend Allan Hall. The group quickly gained success with the release of their first album, '' Be Still My Soul'', in 1999. They became known for transforming old
Christian hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
s into a more modern style and with their powerful voices and beautiful harmonies. Todd and Nicol, who spent their childhood in
Subsaharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African countries and territ ...
, brought many African elements to their songs as well. They are as comfortable singing in Kituba, as they are in English. Todd gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. "I've been singing in front of people since I was three," he said. "My parents are missionaries. When we came back to the United States, we had to visit each church that sponsored us. That was a good training ground." They also did well-known covers of already-famous songs such as "
You Raise Me Up "You Raise Me Up" is a song composed by Rolf Løvland with lyrics by Brendan Graham. It was first recorded by Secret Garden, in collaboration with Brian Kennedy. Although the original version was not a major hit, the song has since been rec ...
" by Secret Garden and "
Bless the Broken Road "Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded by several American country music artists. Co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, it tells how the journey through relationship heartbreak and disappointment was ...
" by
Marcus Hummon Marcus Spencer Hummon (born December 28, 1960) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Notable songs written or co-written by Hummon include " Ready to Run" and " Cowboy Take Me Away", recorded by The Chicks; "Born to Fly", recorded by S ...
. Selah went on to win a
Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...
for their debut album. Their second album ''Press On'' was released in 2001, and also won a Dove Award, along with many nominations for individual songs in the album. In April 2000, Nicol Smith released her self-titled solo debut on Curb Records. She met and married Greg Sponberg in 2003. Nicol Sponberg released her second solo album, ''Resurrection'' (Curb Records), in 2004. The single "Crazy In Love" crossed over to the secular
Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
charts while songs like "Safe" continued to earn her airplay on Christian radio. Todd also produced a solo album, ''Alive'', in 2004.


2005–present

Nicol left the group in 2004 to pursue a solo career, and for most of 2005
Melodie Crittenden Melodie Crittenden (born September 13, 1968) is an American country and Christian music singer-songwriter. Career Her first album, ''Melodie Sings'', was recorded at the age of nine in Norman, Oklahoma. She traveled around Oklahoma with her ...
sang with the group. The 2006 ''
Bless the Broken Road "Bless the Broken Road" is a song that has been recorded by several American country music artists. Co-written by Marcus Hummon, Bobby Boyd, and Jeff Hanna in 1994, it tells how the journey through relationship heartbreak and disappointment was ...
'' album was a project that teamed original Selah members Allan Hall and Todd Smith with a wide variety of guest singers. After auditioning 15 female vocalists, Amy Perry became a full-time member based on her vocal abilities and spirituality. Allan Hall also began to get a more active singing role, from originally being the band's accompanist. ''Hope of the Broken World'', was released on August 23, 2011 with Curb Records. Smith recorded the solo song "Broken Praise" on the various artists compilation album ''Music Inspired by "The Story"'' and the album won the "Special Event Album of the Year" on the
43rd GMA Dove Awards The 43rd Annual GMA Dove Awards presentation ceremony was held on Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 7:30 P.M. EST at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The ceremony recognized the accomplishments of musicians and other figures within the Christian ...
in 2012. He performed the song on the awards show. Smith wrote a song called "I Will Carry You" after Audrey Caroline died. "I Will Carry You" is dedicated to the memory of Audrey Caroline Smith. In 2014, Selah released ''
You Amaze Us ''You Amaze Us'' marks the ninth album from Selah. Curb Records released the project on August 19, 2014. Allan Hall and Todd Smith of Selah produced this album alongside Ed Cash, Jordan Mohilowski, and Jason Kyle. Reception Specifying in a four ...
''. The title track debuted at No. 1 on ''Billboards Christian Soft AC chart, becoming the first song in the history of the chart to do so. "You Amaze Us” spent a concurrent 12 weeks at No. 1 on the Christian Soft AC chart. In 2014, Amy Perry and Allan Hall also released solo albums: ''Glory All Around'' (Perry) and ''Work of Love'' (Hall).


Key people


Todd Smith

James Todd Smith (who goes by Todd Smith) is an American singer and founding member of Selah. He remains an original member since its founding in 1997. Smith grew up the son of
missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
in
Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...
, Africa (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) in a home built by his grandparents, who had been missionaries to the continent since the 1930s. His grandfather worked as a dentist in the United States before moving to Zaire. Smith's father was born in Africa, but later moved to
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
. Both Smith's grandparents died in Africa.Sunday Evening Praise. http://sundayeveningpraise.net/praise/selah.htm Smith's family home burned to the ground when he was five. After the fire, his father felt a call to the mission field of Africa. Smith's father moved his mother, three siblings, and himself from Detroit, Michigan, to Africa. His family remained there for the next eight years. Smith has remarked that he never questioned his Biblical teaching. Smith gives credit for his music career to his missionary upbringing. "I've been singing in front of people since I was three," he said. "My parents are missionaries. When we came back to the United States, we had to visit each church that sponsored us. That was a good training ground." Smith is married to Angie Smith and they have four daughters. They had one other daughter named Audrey, who was born in April 2008 and died a few hours later due to cardiac issues. Angie has written two books, ''I Will Carry You: The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy'' and ''What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms''. Selah was originally formed by brother and sister, Todd and Nicol Smith, along with friend Allan Hall. Smith also worked on a solo project. His debut album ''Alive'' was released on August 10, 2004 with
Curb Records Curb Records (also known as Asylum-Curb and formerly known as MCG Curb) is an American record label started by Mike Curb, originally as Sidewalk Records in 1963. From 1969 to 1973, Curb merged with MGM Records where Curb served as President of M ...
. The album steered from the common sound Selah offered, better known for well integrated harmonies, singing hymns and melodic ballads. A passion for the sound of
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
was more of what Smith had in mind when working on this album. Bands such as
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Foreigner, Journey, and
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Religion * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of humankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Bo ...
influenced the sound in ''Alive''. This has been his only solo release to date. Smith continues to work with Allan Hall and Amy Perry, current members of Selah.


Discography


Albums


Studio albums


Compilations


Singles


Other appearances

*''Grace'',
Jim Brickman James Merrill Brickman (born November 20, 1961) is an American pop songwriter, pianist and radio host. Brickman has earned two Grammy nominations for his albums ''Peace'' (2003) for Best Instrumental, and ''Faith'' (2009) for Best New Age Album. ...
: "Be Thou Near to Me" *''Church in the Wildwood: Cherished Hymns'',
Gaither Homecoming ''Gaither Homecoming'' is the name applied to a series of videos, music recordings and concerts, which are organized, promoted and usually presented by Christian music songwriter and impresario Bill Gaither. Beginnings On February 19, 1992, the ...
: "
Take My Hand, Precious Lord "Take My Hand, Precious Lord" (a.k.a. "Precious Lord, Take My Hand") is a gospel song. The lyrics were written by Thomas A. Dorsey, who also adapted the melody. Origin The melody is credited to Dorsey, drawn extensively from the 1844 hymn tune, ...
/
Just a Closer Walk With Thee "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" is a traditional gospel song and jazz standard that has been performed and recorded by many artists. Performed as either an instrumental or vocal, "A Closer Walk" is perhaps the most frequently played number in the ...
"


Dove Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selah American Christian musical groups American musical trios Curb Records artists Musical groups established in 1997 Word Records artists